The Imperial Grand Duchy of Far Valyrius
'A Short History of the Imperial Grand Duchy of Far Valyrius' The Imperial Grand Duchy of Far Valyrius was established in the Archenar System by the Golden Empire some millenia before the Collapse, and remained a relatively quiet and peaceful province, considered by most in the Empire to be a mere backwater...when it was thought of at all. The province took its name from one of the two planets in the system, the gas giant Far Valyrius (the other planet Odros II being a terran world and the sector capital). Far Valyrius' three, roughly earth sized moons- uncreatively named Xaxus Prime, Xaxus Secundus and Xaxus Minor- were terraformed by the Golden Empire over the course of centuries, Xaxus Prime as a terran planet and population center, Secundus and Minor as agri-worlds. As the Empire began to unravel, the Grand Duchy was fortunate to be governed by Archduke Adamantious von Kesselbrood I, a shrewd politician and adept military commander who sought to keep his provinces free from the madness and destruction raging throughout the Empire's more central provinces. He adopted a policy of strict neutrality and isolationism, welcoming refugees and the remnants of shattered fleets at the price of an oath of loyalty. Archduke von Kesselbrood repulsed several minor incursions into Duchy space during the decades of the Collapse, but was defeated decisively by a rogue Imperial fleet at his capital planet of Odros II, which was sacked and subjected to brutal bombardment. Odros II was abandoned, and the Ducal capital relocated to the terran moons around Far Valyrius, which were left unmolested during the Collapse, perhaps because the Archduke's agents had erased their location from several important Imperial star charts. Once the Empire had fallen, the Kesslbrood dynasty eeked out an existence marked by rabid isolationism and political stagnation. The three moons around the gas giant Far Valyrius came to be ruled by the three major old Imperial dynasties in the Duchy- the Kesselbrood, the Grindehook, and the Venym families, with innumerable lesser nobles arranged in a complex feudal structure below them. Deals were brokered with techno-barbarians, who were bought off with regular tributes of food and slaves. Over the centuries of the Dark Ages, the Duchy slowly rebuilt and refitted its fleet and armed forces, forged alliances with mercenaries and pirate factions, and re-industrialized after the catastrophic loss of infrastructure that followed the sacking of Odros II. Of particular importance was the deal formed between the Great Houses and the Gn'Mok aliens, a bio-altered species designed by the GE to serve as heavy Imperial ground troops. After the Collapse, the Gn'Mok found themselves marooned on a dilapidated warship and wandering a treacherous galaxy. They made their way to Duchy space and have been employed as a standing mercenary army ever since, serving alongside the regular Ducal Army. One further historical episode bears mention: the venture that has come to be known among Duchy aristocrats as Uthol's Gambit, after Archduke Uthol III who masterminded the debacle. Some time after the Collapse, an expedition, composed largely of slaves purchased from techno-barbarian chieftans, was sent to bring the Aurolian system under Duchy control. Had this been done well, and with anything like the logistical planning necessary for such an adventure, the Duchy would have benefitted enormously from such an investment. Unfortunately, the venture was hamstrung by internal politiking and was run on a shoestring. The result was a slave rebellion, which, instead of suppressing, the military decided to ignore. The Grand Duchy cut its losses and retreated from the Aurolian sector, leaving the rebellious slaves isolated on a single planet. The whole poorly run episode reinforced the nobility's conservativism and bias against expeditionary ventures. When word spread that the slaves had not died as expected, but thrived on their resource rich planet, the Duchy repeatedly hired pirate factions to wipe them out. Though innumerable raids were undertaken, the pirates did not succeed, and the Duchy earned itself a new and growing rival in the nascent Aurolian Federation. The current Archduke, Adamantious von Kesselbrood XVI, has succumbed to insanity after three centuries of life, and is a mere figurehead. Power currently resides in the Regent, the Countess Katarine Valacious Pauline Hildegaard von Grindehook and her chief ally, Count Marxus von Venym. The two rule through the enfeebled archduke, and have centralized power in the Grand Duchy to an unprecedented degree, reforming the bureaucracy, Army, Navy, and diplomatic corps as they look beyond the borders of their system. They are opposed, however, by a significant number of powerful nobles who wish to remain isolated from the galaxy, and for power in the Duchy to remain diffuse. Capital World: New Xaxus Far Valyrius is a gas giant, one of two planets around its star. Orbiting Far Valyrius are three roughly earth sized moons- Xaxus Prime, Xaxus Secondus, and Xaxus Minor- all terraformed by the Golden Empire. The moons of Far Valyrius are known for their strikingly beautiful plant and fungal life, and their strange xeno- crustacean and reptilia n fauna. Vast forests of tree-sized mushrooms cover much of Xaxus Prime and its sister moons. While Secundus and Minor were originally terraformed by the Golden Empire to serve as breadbasket worlds, and remain rural and agricultural, Xaxus Prime's ecosphere was designed to accomodate a population and commercial center. Prime has varied ecosystems and many small oceans and tall, young mountain ranges. It is home to vast agricultural plantations where specialty crops ill suited to the delicate bio-sphere of an agricultural world are harvested in great quantities. Xaxus Prime has several mega-cities, which are especially notable because of their elegant design, fusing archeo-tech with the just plain archaic. Most prominent is the Duchy's capital city of Uvirith, where the Archduke resides in his vast and ancient ancestral palace, Gloamshire. Uvirith is also home to the Valyrian Diet, a legislative and advisory assembly composed of the (representatives of the) Barons, Viscounts, Counts, and lesser lords of the Grand Duchy. The city of Uvirith, like all cities on the moon, is a curious mixture of highly advanced Imperial archeo-tech operating alongside buildings of stone, plaster and wood. The common folk and peasantry on all three sister moons often are almost completely technologically backwards, while the upper strata of the Duchy have access to some of the most advanced tech remaining from the Golden Empire. Despite the Duchy's political isolationism, Xaxus Prime has thrived as a commercial center, each city possessing a special Hospitality Quarter in which off-world traders are allowed to ply their trade buying and selling the exotic goods of the Archenar System and importing foreign commodities, though they are barred from the rest of the city without the proper papers. In many cities, the Hospitality Quarter has grown to be vastly larger than the rest of the city. 'Society and Government' Social Values: 'A feudal society obsessed, in its upper echelons, with rank and birth. Though those at the top of the hierarchy are less obsessed with breeding than the lesser nobles, most of the aristocracy jealously protects their ancestral prerogatives from the serfs, the wealthy merchant class which constitutes a significant power bloc, and from the powerful triumvirate of Great Houses: Kesselbrood, Grindehook andVenym.. Many conservative factions within the Duchy see themselves as the sole rightful heirs of the Golden Empire, whose dissolution they blame on an abandonment of hierarchy and tradition. The Duchy is home to several non-human races, whose treatment varies dratically depending on local culture, though they seldom rise above second-class status. While the current leadership of the Duchy is more real-politik and pragmatic in its approach to other species, all factions are determined to bring their conception of human-led civilization, with aliens in their rightful place as servants, serfs and soldiers, back to the galaxy. '''Government: ' Enlightened Despotism vs. neo-fuedalism vs. Constitutional monarchy vs. Plutocracy. The Grand Duchy's governing structure is...complex, and in flux. On top of a feudal structure sits the Archduke, who's power is technically limited by the Valyrian Diet, a representative body which represents the landed classes and aristocracy. As it stands now, Archduke Adamantious von Kesselbrood XVI, while once a very shrewd and cunning politician who did much to modernize the Duchy's economy and centralize power in his hands, is an enfeebled madman. The Kesselbrood dynasty is in sharp decline, and the ruling houses of Xaxus Secundus and Xaxus Minor have allied to dominate policy making, though in the process they have made themselves innumerable enemies. The autocratic and inimitable Countess-Regent Katarine Valacious Pauline Hildegaard von Grindehook and the slippery and cunning Count Marxus von Venym have gone a long way to consolidate and centralize their power and renovate the Duchy's military, economic and diplomatic apparatus. Nevertheless, various noble factions, Merchant Guilds, and even the Gn'Mok mercenary legions remain politically powerful blocs, each with their own agendas. '''Economy: Semi-feudal/semi-capitalist; agriculture is divided between innumerable guilds and minor houses, who pay tribute and tax in money, food, and troops to the central government. Heavy industry is run by enormously wealthy mercha nt guilds. Recent economic reforms have further capitalized the economy. Religion: While the upper classes mostly hold to a sort of enlightened ancestor worship, the religions of the Grand Duchy are extremely diverse and almost all cults are tolerated so long as they are not politically dangerous. Paganism. Military: The Grand Duchy's land military doctrines are largely outdated, relying on mass formations, superior firepower, and attrition. The Duchy uses mercenary troops to do much of its fighting. Countess-Regent von Grindehook and some of her allies have come to dominate the military, and are updating tactical and strategic doctrines to allow for greater movement and flexibility. Living on the borderlands of the techno-barbarians has kept naval doctrine nimble and innovative and relatively free of the crushing stagnation of the rest of Duchy society, and the Duchy boasts some of the most formidable ships in the Quadrant. Ideology The Duchy is divided between rabid isolationism and a desire to rebuild the glories of the old Empire. Economy Dominant Economic Activity: 'Agriculture. Two of the moons orbiting Far Valyrius were terraformed by the Golden Empire to serve as agricultural centers, and they have continued to do so for millennia. The Grand Duchy produces far more food than even its extensive populace can consume. '''Secondary DEA: '''Gas mining. 'Nation Perks: ''' '''The Empire Didn't End, It Only Shrunk '''The Grand Duchy survived the devastating Collapse of the Golden Empire through a combination of shrewd political leadership, isolationism and military skill. As a result, its homeworlds (with one notable exception, see below) were left untouched by the catastrophic wars which marked the end of galactic civilization, and a great deal of archeotech- and the knowledge of how to use it- has survived. Advanced computer systems, cloning technology, bio-synth tech, and industrial expertise has been jealously preserved within the borders of the Duchy. As a result, it's land forces are equipped with many (sadly, degraded and patchwork) Golden Empire weapon systems. It also has preserved extensive technical expertise on GE naval systems . The aristocrats of the Grand Duchy jealously horde knowledge and technology from the old empire, and pay free traders handsome fees for recovered artifacts. '''If You Can't Beat Them, Buy Them The Grand Duchy has existed on the edge of habitable space for centuries, and has been forced to protect itself from innumerable techno-barbarian incursions, neo-Viking invasions, astro-Mongol hordes, solar-Visigoth attacks, and pirate raids, each seeking plunder from the Duchy's food and technology rich homeworlds. While Grand Duchy military and naval forces are formidable, the aristocratic leadership has, over the years, worked out a way to settle these issues in a less costly and unseemly fashion, by paying tribute in the form of food and slaves to the barbarian warlords and chieftains on its borders. As a result, the Duchy has formed positive relationships with many mercenary bands, pirate factions, and techno-chieftains and pays mercenary forces lavishly for protection from the neo-barbarian hordes. Bottom line: The Duchy pays off the neo-barbarians, uses mercenary fleets to supplement its own military forces, and has a good relationship with many pirate factions. Nation Flaws Politically Backwards Though recent efforts at centralization have met with notable success, the Grand Duchy is essentially an enormously complex feudal state. The allegiances of local potentates are to their immediate superior, and if anything is to get done in the Duchy it requires an incredible amount of political compromise and cunning. Noble titles are handed down by birth, and the aristocracy of the Grand Duchy is largely inbred, reactionary, isolationist and stupid. While this is NOT true of the two or three most powerful figures within the Duchy, these leaders are often hamstrung by the complex network of nobles and feudal land holders who make up the local leadership. Furthermore (with notable exceptions) non-nobles within the Duchy are treated as little more than serfs and helots on the land and conscripted cannon fodder on the battlefield. However, there do exist wealthy guilds of non-nobles- artisans, industrialists, merchants, etc- and these add even further complexity to the political structure of the Duchy. The lower nobility tends to be isolationist and xenophobic, while the wealthy guilds tend to be in favor of expansion and diplomacy. The leadership must always tread carefully between these factions, if it wishes to survive. Xenophobic Nostalgia Almost all levels of society, from counts to serfs, look down on and fear other humans and many aliens (including techno-barbarians), and blame them for the ruin of the Empire, which is viewed as a great golden age of prosperity. While this not, in fact, a totally fatal diplomatic issue (ducal diplomats are shrewd enough to play nice with aliens and non-Imperial humans) it is a problem, given the fractious and reactionary nature of Dukedom politics to begin with, when long term alliances or compacts with other nations are proposed to the Imperial Diet or when foreign emissaries are invited to visit ducal worlds. Most significantly, however, the arrogance of the populace and the aristocracy is a huge problem for the Ducal Army and Navy, since they rely very heavily on Gn'Mok and other alien mercenaries. Much to the chagrin of the military leadership, there is always tension between the human armed forces and their xenos auxiliaries, and more generally between the military and the populace. This gets especially exacerbated whenever a local Baron is stupid enough to send in Gn'Mok soldiers to quash a riot or strike. Planets and Holdings Archenar System A fortress system which holds almost the entirety of the Imperial Grand Duchy. 'Name:' Xaxus Prime, Capital Holding Summary: ''' Prime is ruled by the Kesselbrood dynasty, which has traditionally held the ducal titles, but is in clear decline. The current Archduke, Adamantious XVI, is almost totally insane, and his only living heir is an infant who is currently a ward of House von Grindehook. Prime is an important population center and source of exotic agricultural goods. '''Asset: Seat of Government, trade center, exotic foodstuffs, high population. ''' Name: Xaxus Secundus 'Holding Summary: ' An agricultural world (actually a moon orbiting Far Valyrius) Secundus is ruled by the von Grindehook family, currently the most powerful dynasty in the Duchy, and the power behind the throne of the senile Archduke. Small towns and cities of stone and wood dot vast fields of hyper-accelerated fungus and plant growth; Secundus is extremely non -industrial (any major pollution would risk upsetting the delicate ecosphere of the breadbasket moons). '''Asset: Hyper agriculture 'Name:' Xaxus Minor Holding Summary: An agricultural world (actually a moon orbiting Far Valyrius) slightly less populated than Secundus, Minor is home to vast expanses of wild growth jungle, from which is extracted any number of rare spices and goods. Ruled by the second most powerful dynasty in the Duchy, House Venym, which is allied with the Grindehook and shares power. The jungles of Xaxus Minor are home to tribes of the Introgg people, a race of sentient humanoids, some of whom have been "civilized" by Duchy humans into a race of serfs, servants and soldiers. Assets: '''Food production, rare trade goods and animals, Name: Far Valyrius '''Holding Summary: '''The gas giant around which the triplet homeworlds of the Duchy orbit, far Valyrius is itself highly populated. Gas refining stations , industrial facilities, and even full cities, are all suspended in various levels of the gas giant's endless atmosphere, and have remained in continual operation since the days of the Golden Empire. Indeed, many refining stations have over the centuries grown from small GE outposts into sprawling, densely populated slums suspended precariously in the Valyrian atmosphere. '''Assets: '''Vast population, gas refining and rare materials, heavy industry, ship building facilities. Name:' Odros II '''Holding Summary:' The only other planet proper within the Archenar system, Odros II was the system capital in the time of the Golden Empire. Unlike the moons around Far Valyrius, Odros II was not spared the ravages of the Collapse, and was the site of pitched land battles between Ducal forces and renegade Imperial armies as the Empire splintered. The planet was repeatedly sacked and bombarded from orbit, until the Archduke and his forces finally withdrew to the fortified moons of Far Valyrius and established a new capital on Xaxus Prime. Odros II is now a cratered wasteland, with empty and half-ruined cities dotting vast and empty plains, where plant growth is only now- after centuries- beginning to recover. Odros II now serves the Duchy as a mining and military outpost, and a source of lost GE technology. The Duchy is slowly re-terraforming the ruined planet in an effort to make it fully habitable again. Assets: Mining, archeo-tech recovery, military installations, major naval base Y'Ghul System ''' Name:' Y'Ghul '''Holding Summary: ' A pirate fortress-world in a neighboring system, Y'Ghul is outside of the Grand Duchy's jurisdiction and is nominally part of the Drogue Collective. Nevertheless the raiders, mercenaries and cut-throats of Y'Ghul are informally allied with the Duchy, and rely on their aristocratic neighbors for deliveries of food and other necessities. The Duchy maintains a low-key but significant presence in the Y'Ghul system through diplomats, spies and hired guns. Assets: Mercenary troops, free-trader port, semi-dependent client state. 'Name: '''Khalul Asteroids Holding summary: A lawless belt of asteroids home to pirate bases and innumerable mining operations. The Duchy has a few mining outposts, but the Khalul belt is dangerous turf even for Duchy interests. Vvaryl System 'Name: Vvaryl 'Holding Summary: '''A fortress world in the in the former Colchis League. The Duchy held on to the planet after the war. Vvaryl is a desert planet home to beautiful and ancient cities of carved stone. Parts of Vvaryl are currently being irrigated by the Lord Governor to accomodate some of the flora and fauna of the Duchy home worlds. '''Assets: '''Heavily fortified terran world, high population, untapped mineral and metal resources. Ipeffit System Name: Zanxi Holding Summary: A Duchy vassal-world in the Nerkin Empire. Assets: Fortress world (base of the Third Expeditionary Army and Duchy Naval Taskforce ''Monarch), population center, mining, and infrastructure recycling Races '''Majority Species: '''Imperial Humans. '''Species Description: While the lower orders in the Grand Duchy often live without very much in the way of technology, the nobility and wealthy are often considerably enhanced and augmented with Golden Empire cybernetics and bio-implants. Perks Imperials! The upper echelons of Duchy society enjoy extensive biological and cybernetic enhancements thanks to the technological legacy of the Golden Empire. Augmented humans are faster, smarter, healthier, stronger, and live much, much longer than non-augmented humans. The Ducal Army benefits from much salvaged GE technology and bio-enhancements. Even the lowliest grunt is given significant biological modifications to help him survive in combat conditions. Conscript Reporting The Grand Duchy enjoys an abundance of food, and as a result has an extremely fecund population. Filling the army, navy, fields and factories with warm bodies is not an issue. The Ducal Army is numerically massive, and for every soldier that dies there are five more that can take his place. Quantity has a quality of its own. Flaws Imperials? 'So...it turns out not everything was preserved successfully since the old days...actually, not very much at all remains in pristine condition. Due to scientific stagnation and a repressive political atmosphere, innovation is discouraged and many of the old biological augments come with unfortunate side effects that the Duchy no longer knows how to fix...Insanity being a big one. The current ArchDuke- to pick a particularly prominent example- is 350 years old and has been completely bats, thanks to his haywire cybernetic implants, for the last fifty years. '''Monodominant '....humans who think themselves the rightful heirs of the Golden Empire don't much like aliens, or non-Imperial humans, for that matter. Minority Species: Introgg Tribal natives of the wilds of Xaxus Minor, many of the Introgg people have been 'domesticated' by Duchy humans and are used as servants, serfs and auxiliary soldiers. 'Civilized' Introgg have become increasingly integrated into Duchy society. Perk: Skirmishers: Introgg are fast and agile and serve as excellent scounts, SpecOps soldiers, snipers and light infantry. Flaw: Cold-blooded. '''Minority Species: Gn'Mok Built for War Whatever the Gn'Mok people were originally, the scientist s of the GE manipulated their bioform into one designed for combat. It is theorized that the Gn'Mok were meant to serve some GE faction or other as shock troops during the Collapse. In any event, the Gn'Mok excel as heavy infantry, and have served the Grand Duchy as elite mercenary infantry for time out of mind (see below). Flaw ' '''Strangers in a Strange Land '''The Gn'Mok people have been governed and manipulated by humans for a long time. While the officials of the Grand Duchy treat and pay them well- very well indeed, order to keep their allegiance- the rest of the human populace is hostile and suspicious. Many of the Gn'Mok wish for a planet of their own, and an escape from the mercenary life. The Duchy nobles have been dangling the promise of a homeworld in front of the Gn'Mok people for centuries. 'Minority Species: Y'Ghul Skinwalkers Desc: Native to the pirate world of Y'Ghul, a semi-independent client kingdom of the Grand Duchy, the Y'Ghul Skinwalkers may have been a species specifically bio-designed by the Golden Empire to serve as assassins. Whatever their origins, the Skinwalkers are an alien species capable of assuming the forms and noise patterns of other humanoid species for extended periods of time. The Skinwalker Coven is an organization of the creatures on Y'Ghul who hire out their services to the highest bidder. DIM and the Coven have a longstanding contract, and the Duchy often use the Skinwalkers' unique abilities for assassinations and espionage operations. Perk: '''Alien Shapeshifters! '''Flaw: '''Fungus eaters. The Skinwalkers depend on a rare fungus which grows only on Y'Ghul or in specialized greenhouse conditions. They can operate off of Y'Ghul only as long as they can be supplied with their fungal nutrients. '''Flaw: Slow-breeders: Not very numerous. 'Minority Species:' Nerkin 'Minority Species:' Flatheads. Desc: The Duchy has access to vast cloning facilities which they have maintained since the days of the Golden Empire. The technology for bulk-clone production has degraded over time, and the Duchy is capable of mass producing only barely sentient soldiers. (The Duchy can, however, clone individuals with a high rate of success...if they can pay for it.) These "Flatheads", as these soldiers are informally called by their commanders thanks to their sloping brows, can be outfitted with an assortment of weaponry. Upon birth, flatheads have a substantial part of their brain replaced with crude cognition engines programmed with basic obedience imperatives and combat training. Additionally, most Flatheads are heavily augmented with mechanical parts so that they are better suited to carry out their tasks. Batches of Flatheads can be produced to "specialize" in single areas of proficiency (e.g. tank hunters, mine detection, etc). They are often used by the Duchy army to serve as biological weapons platforms. Perk: We have more bodies than they have bullets! The Duchy requires only constituent organic material to produce hundreds of thousands of soldier drones over the course of a year. Flaw: Stupid. Flatheads can follow simple commands and have basic practical reasoning abilities, but are totally incapable of independent thought or initiative. They do not retreat, nor advance, without orders. Naval Forces Nation's Naval Assets: Ducal naval doctrine relys on massed fighter screens to neutralize the enemy bomber/missile threat,while using heavily armed and armoured ships of the line to close with the enemy and deliver the heavy damage. Notable Ship names: Ancestral Right: H4 Battlecarrier, Countess-Regent von Grindehook's flagship. Archduke Leopold H4 Battleship Memory of Odros Count van Fesselvingen Pride of Uvirith Lady Alexia Lady Caspar H2 Ships of Note: Exarch Vok ''(Gn'Mok ship) ''Archon Taerg (Gn'Mok ship) Characters Characters: Name: Archduke Adamantious von Kesselbrood XVI Species: Imperial Human Skills:... Personality: Thanks to an obsession with cybernetic augmentation, the archduke is extremely old and extremely crazy. He is a mere figurehead. Name: Katarine Valacious Pauline Hildegaard von Grindehook, first of her name, Ducal Regent, by right of birth Countess of all Xaxus Secundus and Margravine of Garyth-on-Valyrius, and duly elected Protector of the Realm Species: Imperial Human Skills: Very adept political leader, reformer and naval strategist. Personality: Autocratic, ambitious, exceedingly intelligent, occasionally prone to angry outbursts. Short History: Raised as the ward of Count Marxus von Venym, the Countess learned the art of ducal politics at a young age. Her life is a long story of ambition and success, and she is currently the single most powerful person in the Duchy. Name: Count Marxus von Venym, Arch-Chancellor of the Valyrian Diet and liege lord of Xaxus Minor. Species: Imperial Human Skills: Like his protege, the Countess, von Venym is a brilliant political maneuverer and adept administrator. Personality: Fat, corpulent, lascivious, sly, the Count comes accross as a slimey bon-vivant. And he is, but with a Machiavellian genius hiding beneath his unpleasant exterior. Short History: Head of the powerful House Venym, which rules Xaxus Minor, the Count has spent the two hundred years of his life accumulating political power. He groomed the young Countess for leadership and worked closely with the current Archduke- before his slide into insanity- to rob the Diet of its ancient perogatives and increase the power of Three Families- Kesselbrood, Venym, and Grindehook. Name: Caractacus Veed, Marquis de Vel Derth Species: Imperial Human Skills: Diplomacy and espionage Personality: Quiet, unassuming, deferential to those of higher birth. Veed is a cunning and ruthless spymaster. Short History: The heir to a small gas-collection outpost on Valyrius-Vel Derth-Veed has wormed his way up the social ladder of the Grand Duchy thanks to a combination of native intelligence and total ruthlessness. His abilities came to the attention of Count von Venym after his role in the suppression of the Rhadast uprising, and he has been in the service of Venym and Grindehook for decades as head of their espionage apparatus and the Ducal Intelligence Ministry, a subtle but dangerous organization spanning all Duchy holdings, and the entire sector. It concerns itself mostly with suppressing revolutionary movements, keeping tabs on (and occasionally eliminating) troublesome nobility, and counter-espionage work. Name: Viscount Aldamaar Reichenfels Species: Imperial Human Skills: Diplomat, statesman Personality: Urbane, witty, ironic. A renaissance man. Short History: The Reichenfels Family is one of the more prominent noble families on Xaxus Prime, their holdings second only to that of the Kesselbrood dynasty. The Viscount, an unambitious but clever statesman allied early with the rising star of Katarine von Grindehook. There are rumors of a dalliance between the two, but whatever the nature of their relationship, the Viscount is a talented statesman and diplomat. Name: Baron Thurgood van Eck Species: Imperial Human Skills: skilled politician. Personality: Cranky and sly. Short History: Isolationist/reactionary leader, cheif opponent of the Countess' agenda. The van Eck family controls many holdings on all Duchy planets, and is considerably powerful. Name: Lord Admiral Titian Quarl Species: Imperial Human Skills: Talented naval strategist and tactician. Personality: Gruff, somewhat bumbling. Short History: Titian Quarl is of old noble stock on Xaxus Secondus. He was named Commodore-of-the-Fleet by the current Archduke before the Archduke's mental decline. After the Thirty Second Battle of Archenar, the Countess-Regent named him Lord Admiral. He is the first navyman to bear that title since the fall of the Empire. Name: Lord General Regbert Castamere Species: Imperial Human Skills: Brilliant strategist and tactician. Personality: Cunning, ruthless, cold. Short History: Name: Archon S'tin Species: Gn'Mok Skills: Skilled tactician and warrior Personality: Reserved, calculating and brutal. Short History: Every four decades, the Gn'Mok elders elect an Archon to lead them. S'tin has spent his life fighting barbarian raiders and the enemies of the Duchy. Category:The Duchy Category:Factions